Cowichan opens biodiesel station with new PoS technology

Cowichan Energy Alternatives, the Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op and the Cowichan Valley Regional District are holding a special grand opening ceremony Nov. 19 to celebrate Vancouver Island’s first Green & Go Biofuel Station. The station provides a full range of biodiesel blends for use in any diesel car, truck, bus or machinery.

The new biodiesel blending pump and Point of Sale (PoS) technology will provide drivers with an easy and secure way to access clean, renewable biodiesel. The pump’s PoS will provide each member with a transaction record that shows greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions with every fill up.

Representatives from CEA, CVRD and the co-op will be at the event, and guests and media will be able to see how easy it is to use the new biofuel pump, and how anyone can become a member of the Co-op to gain access to the biodiesel dispensed on-site.

The Cowichan Biofuel Facility is a homegrown center for recycling commercial and residential waste cooking oil into biodiesel for local use. This demonstration facility is the first of its kind in North America and a model for communities seeking sustainable solutions that support the development of a local, low-carbon economy. It is the result of a unique partnership between CEA, CVRD and the Co-op, and is part of the growing BC Biofuel Network. Financial support was provided in part by Vancity.

Users of the new Green & Go Biofuel Station can blend biodiesel with regular diesel at whatever level required (B5, B20 and B50). In North Cowichan where the pump is located, 73 percent of the community’s GHG emissions are produced by transportation. The biodiesel solution offered at the Cowichan Biofuel Facility, now made even more accessible through the Green & Go Biofuel Station, will enable the community to address one of its biggest environmental challenges.

The ceremony will take place Nov. 19 at 2 pm Pacific Time at the Cowichan Biofuel Facility located at the CVRD Bings Creek Recycling Centre (3900 Drinkwater Road, North Cowichan, British Columbia).

For more information, visit the Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-op website at www.smellbetter.org.